Friends Always
by Mathais
Summary: Final Fantasy Crossover. Separated from his friends, Sora tries to find his way back to Destiny Islands. There is the small fact that he meets his friends other than Riku and Kairi, though.
1. Sora 1

Story Title: Friends Always

Chapter Title: Sora 1

Author: Mathais

Rating: PG-13

Category: Kingdom Hearts, Final Fantasy

Warnings: Possible BL, Final Fantasy Crossover, Discontinued

Pairings: Pending Riku/Sora, Tidus/Yuna, Minor Squall/Rinoa, Pending Leon/Cloud

Summary: Separated from his friends, Sora tries to find his way back to Destiny Islands. There is the small fact that he meets his friends other than Riku and Kairi, though.

Disclaimer: Characters of Kingdom Hearts and Final Fantasy do not belong to me. They belong to their owners.

References: None.

**OoOoO**

"Where are we?" Sora gave a cough as his face removed itself from the ground.

"Gee huck, I don't know." Goofy lifted himself from the ground as he answered.

"This place seems peaceful." Donald answered, as he made sure his items were still where they were.

"Donald, Goofy?" Sora's blue eyes widened in shock as he took in their forms. Donald, a powerful mage, had become an eighteen-year-old boy with long blue robes that were just the right fit to be maneuverable. The sunlight around them flashed over his golden bracelets. Goofy was a twenty-two-year-old man with bracelets made of a shining silver and iron armor that was well polished and undamaged. It made Sora feel young, as he was only fourteen.

"What?" Donald asked, cocking a brow at the teen.

"You guys are human." Sora managed to squeak, disbelief coloring his voice.

"What?" Goofy looked at himself and Sora was proved true.

"It must be to blend it. They probably don't have talking ducks or talking dogs here." Donald reasoned as he stepped toward his friends, though being humanoid slightly threw his balance off.

"Probably. We shouldn't worry about it since it has happened before. Back to the earlier question. Where are we?" Sora turned around, stretching with his senses.

After running after Pluto, Sora, Donald, and Goofy had fallen into the sudden gap that had appeared. After hurtling through the sky, they had landed into the ground face first. The area around them was a lush green area. There weren't any trees, but there was a lot of grass.

"A plains area?" Donald guessed.

"Maybe there are Heartless here even after the door was sealed." Sora spoke cautiously as he readied a spell. Experience told him that there are enemies to fight here, even if it wasn't Heartless. "Are you alright?"

"I might have broken something." Goofy replied as his arm hung limply to his side, though it was already set. Sora was impressed; Goofy hadn't yelled.

"Heal!" Sora called out, releasing his magic. It appeared in the form of four golden bells over the hurt knight's head, sparkling with green light. They rang softly, ribbons trailing down to encase Goofy's body. Sora allowed the spell to stretch out, pouring more magic than he usually would into the spell. Slowly, the knight's bruises healed, the pain fading. With even more magic, the broken bones themselves mended. The Cure series was usually used to add stamina to the affected. Sora, however, was especially proficient in the spell due to a little help from Merlin and with more magic than he usually spent, maybe even double, he was allowed to heal physical breaks and hurts.

"Okay now Goofy?" Sora asked, his tone soft.

"Sure huck! Thanks!" Goofy gave a silly grin, back to normal.

Sora closed his eyes as he took a deep breath. What he found was overwhelming! The world held many deaths, more than he was used to, more than there should be, and was full of darkness. Yet there were summoners about also! There were so many that Sora snapped his eyes open and took deep breaths. He clutched his heart. The world's magic was amazing. The only things that surpassed it were special places, like the dream-like Wonderland and Hollow Bastion.

"What happened?" Donald rushed to Sora's side.

"This place... It would draw Heartless any day now with all the darkness here! There's so much magical energy in here that my senses just couldn't take it!" Sora exclaimed, his tone slightly panicked. "Only places like Hollow Bastion and End of the World had this much!"

"That's not good. Should we expect anything?" Goofy looked like he was a second away from bringing out the Save the King, his main weapon, that was strapped to his back.

"Perhaps we should heal up at the Rest Point?" Donald pointed to the glowing circle of light that only those three could see. Most transported them to the Gummi Ship, but though this one probably lacked that ability. Once all three stepped into the circle, light filled their bodies with warmth. They felt a nourished force overcome them, their energy replenished. All the magical energies that they had used in the battle with Ansem along with the stamina returned to them in the midst of the glow. They stepped out shortly. (1)

"It's getting dark." Donald pointed to the setting sun. "Perhaps we should set up camp?"

"What should we use this time? We're out of Tents and Camping Sets are low, but we do have a lot of Cottages." Sora announced after he rummaged through their subspace item containment. It was very handy considering all the stuff they had and not enough room to actually out them on.

"Let's use a Camping Set this time. We should save the Cottages. Maybe we could find some place that sells these kinds of things here."

"I hope this isn't a monster populated world." The knight sat down on the ground as Sora pulled out a small circle with the words 'Camping Set' engraved onto it.

"Move back," Sora warned, his tone only slightly teasing, "you know how these things love explosions." Both of King Mickey's men followed the sage advice, drawing back from the supposed radius.

Sora tossed the ball onto the ground. There was a magical flash and, true to Sora's word, the ball exploded. Smoke billowed out of the area that the explosion had taken place and the trio had to cover their eyes to protect them from the hazardous gas. When the smoke and light disappeared, a green tent marked with red along with three color-coded sleeping bags and a ring of stones with firewood were in its place. A bucket of water was conveniently placed next to the stones.

"Mind lighting a fire Donald?" Sora called back as he dragged the three sleeping bags away from the fire with Goofy's help.

"Sure." Donald took out his Save the Queen staff and pointed it at the place where it was be best to have a fire, namely the ring of stones. "Firaga!" A large ball of fire shot from the tip of the Save the Queen and landed within the stones. Flames crackled to life instantly as Donald sheathed the staff back in his subspace compartment.

"Who's taking first watch?" The former duck asked.

"Huck, it's my turn." Goofy answered, not at all concerned.

"It's last watch for me." Sora headed inside the tent and went inside his red sleeping bag after stripping to his boxers. "Wake me when it's my turn Donald."

"Make sure that you wake me up Goofy." The court mage ordered sternly as he entered the tent and fell fast asleep in the blue sleeping bag.

**OoOoO**

Sora's watch found the boy polishing his blades.

"Ultima Weapon." Sora murmured as he took his cloth out and started polishing the blade. _It is the most powerful Keyblade I have. Yet its true power paled in comparison to one of my other Keyblades—_ The Keyblade Master cut that thought off as he took to polishing his other ones.

He polished the Lady Luck, Oblivion, Divine Rose, and Lionheart before he came to a well-known Keyblade.

"Oathkeeper..." Sora whispered as he ran his fingers over the edges of it. _Kairi... I know that I'll go back to you someday! I will! After I find King Mickey for Donald and Goofy, I'll come back with Riku and we'll be together again!_ He put away that particular Keyblade and brought out some more.

After going through the rest of them, Sora pulled out his last version of his weapon. "Kingdom Key." _This brings back painful memories. This is the most powerful of all Keyblades in the respect that it is the Keyblade in its truest form. This is the one that, with the help of the others, sealed Kingdom Hearts. While locking Riku on the other side. Just you wait! I'll come back with Riku and the others will get King Mickey back!_ Sora nodded as the sun broke over the mountains. Just as he was putting away his Keyblade, a low growl made him freeze.

_It isn't Heartless!_ Sora's mind raced because the Keyblade was telling him so. _Then it must be a local monster! Crud! I might need Donald and Goofy for this._ "Donald! Goofy! We're under attack." Sora whispered as he edged toward the tent. Both rushed out, their weapons held in front of them in preparation for battle.

The camp disappeared after that and a flame struck the ground where Sora was. By dodging, Sora managed to avoid it before looking at the landscape. Ten figures in the distance were charging toward them. They were mixtures of many different animals from birds to snakes and were reddish. A magical visor appeared over Sora's eyes as he used his one of his abilities, Scan.

"They're called Chimera Brains!" The Keyblade Master yelled back at his friends. "They have a water tolerance, but that shouldn't matter!"

He took this opportunity to roll underneath a wave of water that was emitted from one Chimera Brain, using Guard against a blast of flame as well. "Aqua Breath and Megiddo Flame respectively!"

He saw Goofy take this opportunity to reflect a Megiddo Flame back to sender. Sora jumped high into the air due to his Hi-Jump skill, avoiding the Blizzaga sparks that Donald had released. As he glided over to another batch of Chimera Brains, Sora watched as the mage's spell suddenly blew up into huge multi-pointed ice crystals that blew several enemies away. The Keyblade Master ducked beneath a wild swipe from a Chimera Brain, rising up immediately afterward and sliced the creature's head off. He rolled to the side as something that looked like someone coursed the power of all the bolts of his Thundara spell into one bolt and fired it hit the ground. The residue shocks gave a Chimera Brain the chance to slam a fist into the teenager's chest, blowing him back several paces. A harsh foot jammed into the grassy ground stopped the movement as Goofy appeared before him, bashing in the head of a Chimera Brain. Another ball of flame launched out, followed by three more. They found their mark in two Chimera Brains who exploded upon impact.

Sora gave a vicious slash with his Ultima Keyblade, the fine lines slicing deeply into the monster's chest, though it didn't bleed surprisingly. He changed to an overhead slash which managed to kill that one, lightning appearing around him due to his Thundaga spell. It shocked the rest of the Chimera Brains and he went savagely into attacks, slashing to the left before thrusting to the right. He had no time for these monsters, not right now.

More attacks from Sora finished off the enemies as he managed to calm himself out of his rage.

"Anger management classes." was the first thing out of Donald's lips.

Sora merely grinned sheepishly. "Sorry guys, but we can't afford to waste time. We have to save Riku and King Mickey!"

Donald nodded in agreement, his bracelets jingling.

All of the sudden, the knight in their group raised his head. "Do you guys smell something funny?"

The brown-haired boy took one whiff before a slightly horrified expression crossed his face. "Sleep powder!"

It was too late to react though as they fell unconscious.

**OoOoO**

A figure straying from his group on a yellow bird called a chocobo came up to the group.

Blonde hair was revealed as blue eyes stared at the figures on the ground. He could smell hints of sleeping powder in the air and he figured some of the experimental Chimera Brains had gotten out. After witnessing the battle, he was amazed at the caliber of skill that the trio had, despite being relatively young, especially the kid. Quickly, he ran back to get his other group members to come. A few minutes later, a redheaded man holding a ball called a Blitzball and a black-haired strong man with a saké bottle came over to them with the blonde man leading. No words were exchanged as the three hefted the bodies onto their chocobos and returned to their group. All the while, the blonde man was thinking, _why does this boy seem so familiar to me?_

**OoOoO**

(1) The characters have no need to call it a Save Point, so I will call it a Rest Point.


	2. Sora 2

Story Title: Friends Always

Chapter Title: Sora 2

Author: Mathais

Rating: PG-13

Category: Kingdom Hearts, Final Fantasy

Warnings: Possible BL, Final Fantasy Crossover, Discontinued

Pairings: Pending Riku/Sora, Tidus/Yuna, Minor Squall/Rinoa, Pending Leon/Cloud

Summary: Separated from his friends, Sora tries to find his way back to Destiny Islands. There is the small fact that he meets his friends other than Riku and Kairi, though.

Disclaimer: Characters of Kingdom Hearts and Final Fantasy do not belong to me. They belong to their owners.

References: None.

**OoOoO**

The light was really bright and very annoying.

That was the first thought that came to mind when Sora awoke. He gave a large groan as his eyes fluttered open, rubbing them as he did so. The light that hit them fully almost made him shut again very quickly. The instinct to check his surroundings made him resist the urge, taking the time to look around the place. He appeared to be in a large machine of sorts. His eyes sprung open in surprise as he jumped up, wobbling only slightly. Sora looked around him and his mouth dropped open in awe.

The biggest machine he had ever been in was the Gummi Ship and even that wasn't as big as this. It was simply amazing. After controlling his breathing rate, he rummaged through his item storage and found everything still there. The most important thing he had was checked for as he held his hand out in front of him. Sora concentrated as the Kingdom Key appeared followed by all his other Keyblades. It ended with the Ultima Weapon in which Sora spun around in his hand and before making disappear.

Sora then turned to his companions, nudging them awake softly. "Donald, Goofy."

"Sora? Where are we?" Donald rubbed his eyes once before realizing that they weren't in the plain anymore, prompting him to hold up his staff as a precaution.

"I don't know." He answered quickly, glancing around. " Let's explore." Goofy and Donald nodded to this, but a voice to the left stopped them.

"Didn't think you'd awake this early." A cheerful sounding voice said from there, in what would be a female or very feminine male's tone.

Sora spun around, fingers rising. He readied a Blizzaga spell just in case.

"Whoa, hold it there!" A lively young blonde teenager waved at them. "The name's Rikku! How ya doin'? The newest type of Chimera Brain knocked you out and my friends brought you here. They unleash a sleeping powder when they die."

"That explains why we were unconscious." Goofy nodded.

"What's this machine called?" Donald asked.

"It's the Airship. It's piloted by my dad, Cid." Sora barely refrained from rolling his eyes. _What is with the name Cid and some type of technological thing?_ "What are your names?"

"Donald." The mage nodded once, preferring to stay back.

The knight smiled large in an acute contrast to his smaller friend. "Goofy. Nice to meet you."

"Sora." He stuck his hand out and Rikku clasped it in greeting.

"Hela du saad oui, Sora, Donald, yht Goofy."

There was a beat of silence.

"Huh?" Goofy cocked his head to one side, eye blinking rapidly.

"Sorry. I guess you don't understand Al Bhed." Rikku grinned sheepishly, bopping herself on the head lightly. "I said that it is nice to meet you, Sora, Donald, and Goofy."

"Oh." _Must find out what Al Bhed is later._ Sora told himself mentally.

"Maybe you would like to meet the others? Yunie would be glad to see that you are up!" Rikku lead them away a slight bounce in her step.

"Yunie?" Goofy raised an eyebrow.

"Her name's Yuna, but I call her Yunie. She's my cousin." The Al Bhed grinned.

"Nice."

"So what were you three doing in the Calm Lands?" Rikku questioned.

"Exploring." Sora lied.

The group then came to a room where various people were. There was a young woman in robes with brown hair and expressive green eyes. There was a black haired man with a saké bottle attached to his waist along with sunglasses that hid his eyes. A cold looking woman with long black hair and brown eyes was not too far away. Next to her was a powerful red haired man holding a ball. _Blitzball..._ Sora thought absently. The final one was a blonde haired teen with blue eyes and seemed to grin.

"So you're finally up." The blonde grinned.

"You okay, ya?" The red haired man looked at them.

"I'm sorry, we forgot our manners." The brown haired teen gave a bow. "My name is Yuna."

"Sora." Sora returned the bow. "This is Goofy and the other is Donald."

"The black haired man is Sir Auron, the woman is Lulu and you've met Rikku. The blonde is Tidus while the man holding the Blitzball is Wakka."

Sora's breath caught in his throat. Tidus? Wakka? Don't they recognize me? But they're so much older. He gave a cough before returning his gaze to Yuna. Reincarnation is possible. I won't ruin their lives here with memories best left forgotten.

"Nice to meet you all." Sora gave another bow.

**OoOoO**

Lulu was carefully studying the newcomers quietly. The boy, Sora, seemed to be strong both physically and magically. His eyes reflected that he had seen a lot of battle and hardship. There was also something special about the boy that she couldn't place. There was also the lack of a weapon carried, which intrigued her. She stored that information for later.

Donald, she realized, had amazing powers as a Mage, but seemed to be lacking very much in the physical department. His weapon was a strange looking staff that enhanced his magical power. It was nothing that she had ever seen.

Goofy was interesting. He seemed clumsy at first, but from what Tidus told her, he was very efficient in battle. Strapped to his back was a large shield. It seemed that the shield was actually a weapon, not a defensive item. That interested her and she made a note to ask about it later.

Lulu did notice the cough that Sora had done. _Does he know Tidus? Perhaps another one from Zanarkand. But what would that say about Wakka?_ She shook her head. _We have enough problems with our final battle with Sin soon._ Silently, she stroked the head of the Onion Knight.

**OoOoO**

Sora gave a weak grin as he looked at the group.

"So, where are we right now?" He asked.

"We are currently hovering over the Calm Lands." The previously silent Auron said.

"Where is that?" Goofy mistakenedly said out loud.

"Dope!" Donald bopped Goofy on the head when the rest of the group stared at them.

"Are you from around here? Did Sin send you here?" Yuna said slowly.

"Sin?" Sora looked confused. "What's a Sin?"

"Doi!" Donald slapped his forehead as the whole group stared at him in shock.

"How can you not know who Sin is?" Wakka sputtered.

"Sin's toxin, right?" Lulu sent a wry glance at the group.

"Truthfully, we really don't know who Sin is." Donald gave a sigh.

"The toxin trick wouldn't work on us anyway." Tidus gave a small chuckle. "I tried that one when I first came to Spira."

"So this is where we are. Spira." Sora mumbled to the others so only they could hear. "I guess the Gummi Ship can't go to all the worlds."

"That would be impossible." Donald whispered back. "There is an infinite amount of worlds and alternate dimensions."

"Are you from Zanarkand?" Rikku popped the next question.

Sora gave a sigh. "Can we tell them the truth? We know absolutely nothing about this world." He whispered with the corner of this mouth.

"I think we should." Goofy said.

"If anything, we could summon Dumbo and escape from here and get as far to the ground as possible. Or summon Tinker Bell to heal us after jumping off." Sora remarked.

"No." Donald shook his head. "We can't escape. Let's just spill."

"In truth. We aren't from this world." Sora looked for any reactions, but found none. "We are on a quest to find my friends and Donald and Goofy their king. I come from a world called Destiny Islands while Donald is the Court Mage and Goofy Head Knight in Disney Castle." He looked for any reactions again.

Auron and Lulu had stoic faces while the rest had confused expression on their faces.

"Basically we're not from Spira and we happened to come here by accident after sealing Kingdom Hearts!" Donald cried.

Yuna and Rikku had their confusion dispelled, but Tidus and Wakka had their brows ceased in frustration. Sora bit his lip before whispering to Donald. "Tidus and Wakka were a couple of my friends from Destiny Islands. I think they were reborn here, but now that Destiny Islands was brought up, maybe buried memories are coming again."

"WHAT?" Donald shrieked, surprising everyone. "WHY DIDN'T YOU TELL US THAT?"

"Because I thought they were still back at Destiny Islands." Sora whispered. "Now they're so much older and have a life here. I never thought that this would bring so many complications."

"Man oh man." Goofy moaned. "This is not good."

**OoOoO**

Half buried memories were springing up in both Wakka's and Tidus's minds. Memories of a brown headed boy holding a wooden sword beating them along with a jump rope wielding girl was dug up. Lush greenery and a huge beach were there too. A girl with an ever-cheerful smile along with a silver haired boy with another wooden sword. They shook it off soon as they tried to listen to the private conversation with no luck.

"Hold up. So you're from Destiny Islands? Where is that?" Tidus asked, curious.

"A very long way from here. I don't know." Sora bit his lip.

"What about Disney Castle?" Rikku asked.

"We don't know where Spira is in the worlds so it cold be five or a million worlds away from Disney Castle." Donald answered truthfully.

Any further questions were cut off by a loud crash.

"Rikku!" A man came hurtling in. "Drana ec y Sinspawn yddylgehk!"

Rikku strapped on the Godhand as Tidus pulled the Caladbolg.

"Sinspawn guys." Tidus nodded as Yuna pulled out the Nirvana, Wakka the World Champion, and Auron the Masamune. Lulu already had the Onion Knight out as a blue furred creature came from the next room with the Spirit Lance out.

"This is Kimahri." Yuna introduced before that party dashed toward the deck with the trio trailing behind.

There was a large flying fiend except with splotches of black on its skin. It roared powerfully as it hissed in Heartless talk.

_Keyblade..._

_Keyblade..._

_Keyblade..._

_Must have the Keyblade..._

Sora gave a gasp as he backed off slowly.

"What's wrong Sora? We've faced the likes of this." Goofy said quietly.

"It's infected with Heartless." Sora said. "It wants the Keyblade."

Donald narrowed his eyes. "We won't let it."

"Thundaga!" Lulu cried as a thunderous explosion took place on the fiend. It didn't work that well.

"That's called a Sinspawn Aerorir. But it seems to have mutated." Yuna called.

"Take this!" Tidus tried to slash it with a Quick Hit, but it hardly phased it.

"You shall fear weapons!" Auron tried an Armor Break, but a gust of wind smacked him back as Yuna cast a spell.

"Holy!" The burst of holy energy caused Aerorir to back off a bit, but it came back with a gust of wind that pushed the whole party back.

"Thanks!" Rikku stole something. "What's the use of Gale?"

Kimahri plunged his spear into Aerorir. Or at least tried to, but Aerorir just burst back with another gust.

"Don! Take the left! Goof, charge the right. Let's take out this Heartless." Sora made the Ultima Weapon appear out of nowhere, to the surprise of the Spirans.

_Keyblade!_

_Must have the Keyblade!_

"You want the Keyblade? You'll have to take my heart first!" Sora charged in and gave the same combo attack he used earlier on a Chimera Brain, making the Heartless back off as Goofy charged it rapidly.

"Firaga!" Three rapid fireballs shot into the hide of the fiend, making it roar.

"Ultima!" Lulu blasted the beast with her most powerful spell, making the beast falter.

_Fresh Hearts! Ripe for the picking!_

_But I want the Keyblade!_

_Keyblade!_

_Keyblade!_

_Keyblade!_

"I said I wouldn't give you the Keyblade." Sora snarled. "Wind! Defense! Wind!" Three spells later, the trio was covered in wind barriers.

"A little help here!" Donald called as he readied another spell. "Graviga!" A large orb of gravity forced the beast to fall behind a bit.

"Come to my aid! Bahamut!" A glyph appeared in the sky as Yuna summoned the great Dragon. The dragon sent four dark orbs of energy into the Sinspawn, but nothing was wearing it down. Not the repeated hits the others were giving it. Only magic and the trio from another world seemed to fight it effectively.

"Sora! Get some help!"

"Which one Donald?"

"Anything that can rapidly fire." Goofy chipped in as he gave the Sinspawn another whack. Lulu was blasting with spell after spell while Yuna was directing Bahamut to attack with various spells. The others were continuously being knocked down by wind attacks.

"Courage!" An orb of light appeared on the end of Sora's Keyblade. "Dumbo!" Sora released the ball of energy into the air as a portal opened up. Out came a huge flying elephant, which Sora hopped onto. The elephant started to squirt powerful blasts of water, which made the Heartless scream in pain.

_I WILL have the Keyblade!_

"Not on my watch." Sora growled as Dumbo released another blast of water onto the fiend. He pulled out the Ultima Weapon as he weaved through gusts of wind and various spells. "Kiyaa!" Sora ran over the right side of the fiend with his Keyblade, slicing open a huge wound.

_I won't let that stop me!_

_I will have the Keyblade!_

_Keyblade!_

_**KEYBLADE!**_

A large tornado trapped Sora as he landed on the Airship when the summon wore off. Aeroga wore off and slashes started to strike Sora's skin, making him yell out in pain. "ARRGH!"

"Sora!" Donald pulled out an Aeroga spell.

"Sora!" Goofy tried to use his Tornado attack in a counter spin to ward off the attack, but he was thrown backwards.

"Sora." Tidus charged in with the Caladbolg ready. For some reason, a deep-seated need to protect this boy sprung up inside of him. "Slow!" The tornado slowed down a bit underneath the spell and Tidus got enough speed to ram Sora out of the attack.

_So close! I can taste it!_

_Keyblade..._

_Keyblade..._

_Chosen of the Worlds, I take you heart!_

Another roar followed as twin slicing gales shot toward Sora and Tidus, both who were still reeling from the earlier save.

A big brother sense kicked into Wakka. He couldn't explain it, but he knew he needed to protect those two. Slowly, he arched his arm back and built up power. "Kiyaa!" Wakka unleashed a huge critical hit that made both gales explode from impact. The World Champion came back to Wakka's hands as he cast a spell. "Drain!" Wakka healed himself by stealing some of Aerorir's HP with four balls of light.

"He's almost dead." Sora whispered as the magical visor from Scan appeared over his eyes. "Sinspawn Aerorir-Heartless. Attacks with various wind types." Sora looked at the Ultima Weapon in his hands. "Catch me if I fall."

"Always." Donald smiled before blasting with Graviga.

"Forever." Goofy declared, showing their companionship as he used Rocket.

"Ragnarok!" Sora unleashed a flurry of aerial slashes that were too fast for Tidus to see. The Sinspawn roared in pain from the attack. Sora continued to mercilessly combo the Sinspawn into oblivion. Ultima from Lulu continually blasted the creature as Donald pulled himself together to give another series of Thundagas after being refreshed by Goofy's MP Gift. Goofy was attacking the head repeatedly with his shield while Wakka was throwing his Blitzball at rapid intervals. Auron was trying to get close enough to go a Break and finally succeeded with Armor Break just after Tidus attacked with the slowing Delay Buster. This gave Kimahri enough time to Lancet some HP and MP while Rikku used Mug to steal five more Gales while slashing. "This is it! Impact!" Sora pointed the Keyblade at Aerorir and many lasers flew out of the tip. They circled the fiend, repeatedly striking it. The Aerorir gave a last yell of pain before exploding into spirits. A single heart flew into the air.

Sora landed into Goofy's arms, exhausted. "Remind me to never do that again." Sora gasped.

"You've taken worse with Ansem." Donald smirked.

"What was that?" Tidus was breathing heavily.

Sora narrowed his eyes. "That was a Heartless. I thought after I sealed Kingdom Hearts, they wouldn't appear."

"What are the Heartless?" Lulu asked.

"Ones without hearts that take others for themselves." Donald shook his head. "It is near impossible to regain a heart after it has been taken."

"Was there anyone that fell down without any warning?" Goofy called.

"None." Rikku said.

Yuna dismissed Bahamut. "Are you a summoner? I saw you summon that gray flying thing."

"I sort of am. Dumbo - my summon - had its world destroyed and joined me. My summons can return whenever they want, but they stick around for some reason."

"That is an interesting blade." Auron took the Keyblade in his hands, only to have it disappear into light and reappear into Sora's hands.

"What just happened?" Rikku gaped in shock.

"The Keyblade chooses its master." Sora slashed the Ultima Weapon before making it disappear. "Most of the time the Keyblade stays in a pocket dimension."

"I think you have a lot of explaining to do." Lulu shook her head.

"I guess." Donald gave a weak laugh.


	3. Kairi and Riku 1

Story Title: Friends Always

Chapter Title: Kairi and Riku 1

Author: Mathais

Rating: PG-13

Category: Kingdom Hearts, Final Fantasy

Warnings: Possible BL, Final Fantasy Crossover, Discontinued

Pairings: Pending Riku/Sora, Tidus/Yuna, Minor Squall/Rinoa, Pending Leon/Cloud

Summary: Separated from his friends, Sora tries to find his way back to Destiny Islands. There is the small fact that he meets his friends other than Riku and Kairi, though.

Disclaimer: Characters of Kingdom Hearts and Final Fantasy do not belong to me. They belong to their owners.

References: None.

**OoOoO**

"Run!"

A voice shouted across the darkness as two figure ran across an endless landscape.

"I am!" A teenage voice shouted back.

"Faster! We need to head to the area where the boundary is weakest!" An older, yet slightly cartoony, voice answered breathlessly.

"Darkness!" An orb of darkness released from the teen's hand and flew into one of the creatures chasing them. More took the fallen enemy's place though.

"We're almost there!" The older voice shouted through the impenetrable darkness.

"Good! Darkness!" Another orb of darkness piled against a chaser, but they still came.

"Abra kadabra alakazam!" A wall of fire momentarily lit up the place, annihilating various enemies, and allowing visuals of the two being chased to be seen. One was a mouse in red overalls carrying what looked like a giant key and the other a silver-haired teen with an aqua gaze. The fire died out and the chase was on again.

"How much further?" The silver-haired teen called.

"Not that far!" The mouse replied.

"Feel the power!" Another orb of darkness was sent back, exploding into the ground and stunning the attackers.

Feet pattered as the hiss of the dark ones approached.

"There! Unlock the portal!" The key shone a beautiful white light, striking the ground and opening a portal to another world. That was when the enemies tried to charge forward.

"Head into the portal!" The mouse shouted as he made motions in the air. "Alakazam kadabra abra!" Many of the enemies winked out of existence, but more came.

"I'm not leaving you! Darkness!" Energy spheres also flew into the fray, but the enemies were steadily getting closer.

"Leave! The portal's closing!" The mouse shouted as the only light in this world, other then the red eyes of their enemies, started to fade.

"I won't leave unless you're with me!"

"Take this and go!" The voice roared, slamming the teen into the portal along with an item. "KAZAM!" A wall of flames sprung up in front of the teen, spreading so there was no going around it. Another sea burst out and annihilated more of the enemies. "Good bye Riku. It's been nice knowing you." The voice was soft.

"King Mickey!" The teen shouted as the portal closed up with him in it.

**OoOoO**

The sea wind blew across the beach, spreading sand around the area. The quiet sound of the waves splashing against the rocks was the only sound heard other than the cry of the seagulls. One lonely girl stood on the beach, staring out into the waves. _It's so quiet without them. I know you promised me you'll be back, but it's hard to wait. Tidus, Selphie, and Wakka aren't here either. And you're still looking for Riku. Nothing to do but stare out at the waves._

"Kairi! Come back in! You have school soon!" The girl's mother stood at the beach, waiting for her daughter.

"Coming!" Kairi walked over, looking at various spots. They reminded her so much of her lost friends that it hurt.

As she and her mother walked to their house, they saw various adults staring out into the horizon. Kairi sighed. _They don't know a thing. They don't know what happened to Riku. They don't now the burden placed upon Sora. They don't know the rebirths of Tidus, Wakka, and Selphie. But I know. I know. I was there with Sora, watched Riku slowly become more possessed. I was the one who saw Tidus, Wakka, and Selphie be reborn. I am the one who has to see Chappu._

"Mom? Can I go see Chappu?" Kairi looked at her mom.

"Sure. But come home soon." Kairi's mom replied.

"Okay."

Kairi slowly made her way over to the group staring at the horizon.

"Sora will be okay." Kairi whispered to one pair. "Riku will be fine."

"How do you know Kairi?" Two married couples looked at the girl who interrupted their mourning.

"Because I know. Sora's grown powerful over the time that has past and Riku's light is strong now, even if it was weak before." Kairi walked past the four who stared at her whose words sung true to their hearts. "Don't worry about Tidus. He'll be fine and he's strong. Selphie and Wakka are too. They'll be back." Kairi walked past more stunned people until she found Chappu. Sitting down, the girl spoke. "I would like to hear your story Chappu."

"What story?" Chappu laughed humorlessly. "The one that was ridiculed and considered farfetched?"

"But I was there." Kairi's eyes showed wisdom as she spoke quietly. "I saw it."

Feeling compelled, Wakka's brother opened his mouth. "I know where Wakka is. We-he and I-were reborn in another world. It was a pain filled world where death was everywhere. I knew nothing of this life and I doubt Wakka does now either. I had run off to face a demon that plagues the world named Sin and didn't pray to the worldwide religion. I died there and was returned here. However, Wakka's still there. And I remember. I saw what it's like. I saw that Yevon was fake. I saw Yu Yevon, who was using Sin as an outer armor. The endless circle of death that spirals down. Yu Yevon kills the unfaithful to make the faithful believe more." Chappu broke down into tears. "And I left my little brother there. I can't believe it. I left my little Wakka in that place of death. I must be a horrible brother."

"Don't cry Chappu." Kairi placed a comforting hand on the sobbing boy's back. "Everything will be all right. He has Tidus with him and probably others also."

"Thanks Kairi. You seem to be so calm, despite that five of the six members of your group are missing."

"That's because I know where they are and I know that they'll come back to me." Kairi stated simply with great wisdom in her eyes.

"Good." Chappu returned to wiping his tears away.

Kairi walked towards her mom, but something compelled her otherwise. Her feet brought her to the secret spot again.

"Light." Kairi concentrated and a ball of light escaped from her hand. Controlling it, she used to it light the quickly darkening tunnel. She shined it over the drawings, smiling sadly at the paopu.

_Your destiny has come._

Kairi gasped as another ball of light appeared in her hand.

_Do you wish to accept your destiny?_

"Do I have a choice?"

_Leave you destiny or embrace it._

"I learned to never turn my back on destiny." Kairi drew herself up to her full height. "I will always go for it!"

_Then accept this tool and join a quest._

A rod appeared out of nowhere, encased in a golden light. An orb with two smaller ones attached to it rested as the ornament. Kairi walked up and gripped it. Her lights disappeared as a strong gust of wind blew around the area. She was swept up in the wind and drawn into the door of the world. Not once did she utter a scream.

Meanwhile, a figure stood at the opening of the secret spot. "I always knew you six had an important destiny. You six were always special. I'll pray for you, harder than ever, for I know what you are talking about." Chappu walked away. Bring Wakka back safe Kairi." The last sentence was whispered into the fading daylight.

**OoOoO**

"Oof!" Kairi slammed down into the ground after she was drawn into the vortex. "Where am I?" She was in a dark area and she couldn't make anything out. "Light!" An orb appeared in her hand, lighting her way. She walked carefully, noting that there were tracks of some kind on the ground. Seeing daylight up ahead, she rushed for it, only to step back as she was blasted with brightness. The tunnel opened up to some kind of plain, full of grass and had a road of some kind. Deciding to follow that road, Kairi strode, wary of anything.

Which is why, when a monster attacked, she was ready for it. "Light!" The ball of energy she was holding flew into a monster. Allowing a silver visor to slide over her eyes, Kairi used Scan to find out about the monster. Hmmm... A Glacial Eye. Not very strong, I suppose. It's lucky that it dodged most of it. Light!" Another ball of light obliterated the monster. Kairi didn't even have to draw her weapon.

She had Merlin to thank for this. In their spare time together, the old sage had found it in his heart to teach Kairi a few spells. She had mastered the first spells for the four basic elements at the two higher elements, but that was all.

Kairi continued to walk on, but as she neared the forest, she heard a noise. Rumbling sounded all about her, scaring the girl and she barely managed to dodge a ferocious bite attack.

"T-Rexaur. High level, but weak against Ice by a lot. I should avoid poison, but it's not like I know those spells. Whoa!" Kairi dodged another attack. "But the thing is, I didn't study Ice magic. Oh well... Water!" Kairi raised her hand and a beam of water shot at the T-Rexaur. It was hurt, but not out. Giving a roar, the monster swiped and Kairi was thrown back. "C'mon..." The tool that was given to Kairi appeared in her hands. "Dream Rod, give me strength." She whispered as she raised her hand again. "Light!" An orb of light blasted into the T-Rexaur, this time with many others following it. The monster seemed to shrug off the pain, however, and kept charging.

"Haa!" A teenager gave a wild yell as he plunged a weapon down the dinosaur's back. Pulling it out, the same teen jumped off and gave a slash at the enemy's eyes, effectively blinding it. "Darkness!" Orbs of darkness flew into the dinosaur from the silver teen's hand.

"Fire!" Bolts of flame joined the attack as the T-Rexaur gave a roar.

The teen dashed in and gave a final slash, killing the creature. Both started panting from the exertion.

"Are you alright?" An aqua gaze settled on Kairi and she almost dropped her rod.

"RIKU?"

"KAIRI?"

"What are you doing here?" Both asked at the same time.

"Some person said it was my destiny. He gave me the Dream Rod, but how did he take it from Donald?" Kairi looked at the sky as the sun started to fade. "Everyone back home is worried. Selphie, Wakka, Tidus, Sora, and you weren't back yet. Chappu says that Wakka was in a different world. I won't turn my back on my destiny."

"I was trapped in Kingdom Hearts." Riku admitted. "King Mickey helped me escape, but he pushed me through a portal and left me with the Dream Sword. I just woke up and heard you being attacked."

"So Sora isn't here." Kairi said bluntly.

"Nope. Or at least probably not." Riku blinked. "Hey, how did you learn magic?"

"Merlin." Kairi said simply.

"Ummm..." Riku scratched his head. "I've done so many bad things. How come you treat me like normal?"

"Because it was Ansem that did all the things, using you as a way to do so." Kairi whispered. "Your light grew strong and you were able to break free."

"Ah..." Riku sighed. Drawing back the Dream Sword, he was surprised to find a shield. "Huh?"

"The Dream Shield!" Kairi gasped. "That's Goofy's!"

"No better then you having the Dream Rod." Riku muttered, causing Kairi to blush. "Anyway. We should try for some shelter. Personally, I don't want to meet what ever that thing was again."

"T-Rexaur, dummy." Kairi supplied before running down the road she saw before with Riku hot on her heels.

**OoOoO**

The pair eventually came up to a huge mechanical base.

"Whoa!" Kairi exclaimed.

"It's amazing." Riku contented himself to just staring.

"No kidding." Kairi whispered. "I can feel amazing magic in this place."

"Wanna see if we can go in?" Riku gave a secretive smile.

"Sure." Both teens rushed up to the front desk.

"Can we go in?" Kairi turned the puppy-dog eyed innocent look on.

"I'm-I'm sorry, but you-you can't." The person at the front desk stuttered, trying to refrain from losing their self-control.

Riku rubbed his eyes and covered up his ice. "Pwease." Riku joined Kairi.

"I-I'd g-g-et i-i-in tr-tr-trouble." The attendant could feel his control breaking, but he refused to give up. "Please leave."

"Fine." Kairi gave an adorable pout and the pair left. "Sneak?" Kairi asked once they were out of range.

"Why not?" Riku smirked as they tried to find an opening. There wasn't one however.

"Darn." Riku whispered.

"Hey, who's that?" Kairi asked as a man with messy long brown hair and a woman with raven black hair came out.

"I dunno. Look at all the leather he wears. He's probably driving that woman crazy. There's also all that blue that the woman's wearing. It might start hurting my eyes." Riku muttered.

The man's eyes met Kairi's eyes and she gasped.

"LEON?"

"KAIRI? RIKU?"

"Do you know him Kairi?" Riku asked.

"Squall? Who are they?" The woman in blue asked.

**OoOoO**

End Notes (2010): This actually got minorly rewritten before I posted the new version with the spacing revisions, but that was a long time ago and I don't intend to revive this story.


End file.
